Philippe Leopold

European Defence Agency

Created in 2004 to support and facilitate cross-border defence cooperation, EDA has become the place in Europe where countries willing to develop their defence capabilities collaboratively can do so. EDA's expertise and activities cover the whole spectrum of cooperation: from harmonising requirements to delivering operational capabilities; from research & technology (R&T) and innovation to developing technology demonstrators; from training and exercises to support to CSDP operations. EDA also closely engages with the European defence industry to enhance Europe's defence technological and industrial base and help make the industry stronger and more competitive. The Agency's role and impact have constantly grown, especially with the implementation of the EU's Global Strategy (2016) which also led Member States to reinforce the Agency's mission in 2017. Managed by Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý under the authority of Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.